Creating Value Through Corporate Restructuring: Case Studies in Bankruptcies, Buyouts, and Breakups

Book Description

A collection of case studies illustrates real-world techniques, implementation, and strategies on corporate restructuring
Over the period 1981-1998, public companies with combined assets of over half a trillion dollars filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over the same period, over 400 public companies underwent corporate spin-offs, divesting businesses valued at more than $250 billion. Each of these companies, and all of these dollars, were in some way or another involved in corporate restructuring. Gilson's cases studies have been used extensively in executive programs and are perfect tools to refer to when faced with real-world corporate restructuring issues.
Stuart C. Gilson (Boston, MA) is an Associate Professor at Harvard University and a widely acknowledged expert on corporate restructuring. He has studied and published on the intricacies of both domestic and international corporate restructuring.

Customer Reviews:

Finance with Negative Signs.......2004-01-23

Someone (perhaps it was I) has said that bankruptcy is corporate finance with negative signs. This has always been true but it is amazing how far mainstream finance has gone to try to resist the comparison. The resistance must be, must have been more cultural than economic, because it is axiomatic that anything is a bargain at the right price, and that there is no more or less money to be made in "distress investing" than in any other. Two generations ago, there seems to have been only one person in American that really understood this point - the late Max Heine, who made his grubstake by investing in out-of-favor railroad bonds in the Great Depression, and then riding the wave of prosperity that emerged in World War II. In the same vein, 40 years ago just about any bankruptcy judge would have looked on an "assigned claim" as some kind of monster.

Times have changed. Now everybody's an arbitrageur. The "vulture investors" have their conferences, their social clubs, and for all I know, their own softball team.

Stuart C. Gilson"s "Corporate Restructuring" symbolizes the sea change from the old attitude to the new. It adds the imprimatur of the Harvard Business School to the notion that vulture investing is just another way of making money. As others have noted, this isn't a work of high theory - indeed it has a kind of slapdash, direct-off-the-photocopier feel that is remarkably common in business publications. For fancy theory, you look elsewhere - in law to the likes of Douglas Baird or Lucian Arye Bebchuk; in finance to the developing lore of "real options." But the case studies are an excellent device for getting a sense of the texture and possibilities of vulture investing. It can be read with profit alongside Hilary Rosenberg's "The Vulture Investors." Ambitious students who want the full theoretical framework will match it with David G. Luenberger's "Investment Science." But Gilson's work has merit on its own as one kind of introduction to this revolution in investment thinking.

Only usefull for students.......2003-03-04

What a waiste of money.... The writer has not included any anlyses or real solutions to the cases that a provided. Unless you are a student in a class that use this book, this book gives you absolute nothing.

Good book but needs a companion text.......2003-02-18

This is a very good case book, complete with intricate case studies illustrating numerous aspects of challenges often faced in restructuring in bankruptcy. However, the book assumes a level of knowledge about M&A concepts that many readers may not have. Consequently, I would recommend using this book in conjunction with another excellent text by DePamphilis entitled Mergers and Acquisitions: Integrated Approach. There are two editions. The second edition is more complete and up to date. It also tackles some of the problems illustrated in this book.

Just a collection of old cases.......2003-01-30

This book is a complete waste of time. It is just a collection of case studies bundled together and resold. There is no analysis done. The cases are merely reprinted word for word from the original HBS cases. There are three short intros to the different sections, but once again nothing useful. Great marketing ploy, lousy book.

Corporate Restructuring: It's Not Just for Lawyers Anymore.......2002-12-05

You'd be surprised by how few business schools offer courses on bankruptcy and restructuring. I know that I was. I came to Wharton this year to teach "Advanced Corporate Finance" in the MBA program. In preliminary "due diligence," I discovered there were no finance electives on bankruptcy and restructuring. To bridge the gap, I decided to conclude my course with two modules, one on Corporate Restructuring and the other on Bankruptcy.

Material for both modules came straight from Gilson's book. Students relished the case studies. They fueled many of the most lively and engaging discussions we enjoyed all term. Students are worried about the economy. For the first time, many also sense career opportunities in the area of distressed debt. When I planned the course, I counted on both to spur interest in the modules.

What I didn't count on was how well Gilson's cases would frame virtually all other material that I covered. Key lessons resurfaced from all modules: Financial Analysis and Forecasting, Capital Structure Policy, Capital Budgeting, and Mergers and Acquisitions. In each case, revisiting the ideas in the context of bankruptcy and restructuring threw them into high relief. So much so that I was able to substitute restructuring cases for those I had intended as "comprehensive" case discussions.

As important for educators, Gilson's cases provide all necessary background information about how key legal and procedural aspects of the Bankruptcy Code influence managers' decisions. In Gilson's cases, the decisions featured are crucial to determining how to maximize value in distressed situations, as well as how to distribute it when all is said and done.

In the final analysis, aren't these *exactly* the issues that MBA courses in corporate finance should address? My students at Wharton this term sure thought so. In the spring, my two sections are also already full. I've been told the "buzz" is mostly due to Gilson's restructuring material. Hopefully, some value was created in the delivery. Nonetheless, I couldn't recommend any material more highly for anyone planning to teach a spring term corporate finance course.

Book Description

Throughout the late 80s and 90s many companies fell victim to the downsizing trend. Of the companies that downsized by removing middle managers 66% found productivity declined, 49% found profits did not increase, and in 86% morale plummeted. Middle managers often provide your most important link between top management, operating staff, and your customer. Yet this valuable resource is often stereotyped, skipped over, and avoided as deadwood and blockers. Why make this expensive and critical mistake? Mining the Middle Ground: Developing Mid-Level Managers for Strategic Change presents an applied, field-proven model for the roles, responsibilities, and steps necessary to develop, integrate, and mine your middle management resource for strategic change. Founded on a strong theoretical basis, the model has been developed and refined over the past 15 years and implemented in over 100 organizations. Case study examples, success stories, and interview excerpts lend support and explain the various aspects and steps involved in the model. Anecdotal examples and in-depth interview excerpts support and illustrate the concepts and steps involved. Successfully enabled and cultivated, mid-level managers can be your company's strongest resource for knowledge creation, breakthrough thinking, and change leadership-and they are readily available to you. Developing and tapping this resource is an option you cannot continue to ignore. Stop wasting the valuable resource middle management represents based on stereotypes and low expectations. Raise your sights, actively develop and involve them, and you will discover that this group is a vital, unique asset for strategic change. Mining the Middle Ground: Developing Mid-Level Managers for Strategic Change shows you how to make it happen.

Customer Reviews:

Mining the middle ground.......2001-03-19

Very good book for people involved in Process based enterprise. The methodology is thourough and have provided excellent results with complex or elementary processes (wether it is an engineering process or an administrative/transactional process). Team leaders and facilitators should review the document before conducting exercices like Kaizen for processes. We now provide a copy of this book to every leader involved in team based organization. I suggest it to all members.

Trust the sequence described in the book.

Thanks Mr Williams!

Jean-Marc Legentil Principal Associate Bell Nordic Consulting Inc.

A Real World Manifesto.......2000-12-11

For anyone who has lived through TQM or other management initiatives, here's a book that I found to be practical and grounded in hands-on real world experience. Organizational change is always incredibly difficult, even when implemented "correctly", for example with true top management buyin. The guts of where the initiative is won or lost often if not always resides in middle supervision and management. This book really captured it for me. Understanding and implementation of organizational change has to occur at all levels, and this book speaks to that, from strategic process management to tactical mechanics. This book is a great tool if you are in an organization attempting any broad-scale change. RBB

Product Description

This is the story of a man who faces down a great deal of adversity and lives to tell the tale. In 1963, J.T. took an Ill-advised ride in a '59 Hot Rod Chevy and regained consciousness 28 days later. The prognosis was simple: brain damage. The product of a tempestuous couple who met and married on the same day, J.T.'s often humorous journey from orphanage to U.S. Marines and beyond teaches him that adversity is a fact of life. His unflinching description of his ongoing recovery and his unique insights into the thought processes of someone with "drain bamage" will be uncharted territory for most readers, but it's well worth the trip. In spite of his many obstacles, this consummate storyteller is one of the most positive, enthusiastic men you will ever meet. "Damage to my big USMC pride would be an ongoing occurrence. On more than one occasion I have found myself, for no apparent reason, sitting squarely on my posterior. But I have learned two positive things about falling. First: getting back on my feet has become easier with every fall. Second: living with embarrassment won't kill you." His belief in "patient, prayerful, persistent perseverance" and an unflappable faith in God have served him well during his unusual journey. He has gone on to earn several college degrees, meet and marry his wife, and raise two equally strong and determined children. At first glance, you might think he's just an average guy. Until the Cows Come Home is an inspiring account of triumph over adversity--the sort of triumph that J.T. sincerely believes could be achieved by any one of us if we have faith, a healthy sense of humor, and (although he never comes right out and says it) a certain level of practicality. "I have had to learn to accept the fact that everything is constantly changing, and, in many cases, remains different and difficult. That sounds almost normal, doesn't it?"

Customer Reviews:

Truly Inspirational.......2004-12-13

Until the Cows Come Home is an inspiring account of a life that most of us will never have to experience firsthand. Perhaps this is our loss. Considering the many roadblocks that have been thrown in his path, J.T. Blakemore's highest achievement may be that he is one of the most positive, enthusiastic men you will ever meet.
At first glance J.T. seems like an average guy who loves his family, occasionally does volunteer work, and knows the value of a good education. He is a religious man, a homeowner, loves to write, and is a consummate story teller. But his experiences, starting with his years in an orphanage, have been far from average.
We have all known adversity. What sets J.T. apart from the rest of us is a warm summer night in 1963 and an ill-advised ride in a '59 Hot Rod Chevy. He regained consciousness 28 days later. He was twenty-one years old.

"You might say I threw my life away for a dozen cans of beer. My bell was rung really well, and I've had one gigantic hangover ever since. The prognosis was simple: brain damage. The effects were not so simple. Not by a long shot."

Before this, his biggest problem had been a knee injury that was interfering with his dreams of major league baseball and an extended military career. That soon became the least of his worries. Instead, his sole focus became beating the odds--learning to walk, talk, see, and recover some semblance of his former life.

"I had to learn how to do everything all over again. Buttons were one big pain in the butt. Shoelaces were out of the question. I'm sure that if loafers had not already been in existence I would have invented them. My mind was willing to do anything I had to do, but I seemed to be in some strange disconnect mode most of the time.
"Damage to my big USMC pride would be an ongoing occurrence. When it comes to landing on one's butt, for example, I have a great deal of insight. On more than one occasion I have found myself, without any apparent reason, sitting squarely on my posterior. But I have learned two positive things about falling. First: getting back on my feet has become easier with every fall I have experienced. Second: living with embarrassment won't kill you."

In spite of J.T.'s never-ending recovery from his traumatic brain injury and later setbacks, including four types of cancer (one of which required the removal of a "not-so-small piece" of his "favorite shoulder"), J.T. refused to give up on life. Closing one eye while reading textbooks in order to compensate for his double vision, he went on to earn several college degrees. He also met and married his wife and raised two children.
J.T. strongly believes that education and faith are the keys to overcoming all adversity. His belief in "patient, prayerful, persistent perseverance" and an unflappable faith in God have served him well during his unusual journey.

"I have had to learn to accept the fact that everything is constantly changing, and, in many cases, remains different and difficult. That almost sounds normal, doesn't it?"

J.T. Blakemore, who at the age of sixty-one is on the threshold of a promising writing career, is truly an inspiration to anyone who attempts to triumph over adversity.

Average customer rating:

Until the Cows Come Home
Patricia Mills
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0517169924
Release Date: 1996-08-14

Book Description

The Indonesian Archipelago consists of over 13,000 islands forming a grand link between Asia and Australia. This single country contains a wondrous diversity of natural features - vast rainforests and swamps, huge and savannahs, the largest collection of active volcanoes on earth, coral reefs, and even glaciers - and a rich variety of plant and animal life, including many species found nowhere else.

Wild Indonesia introduces the natural wealth of this remarkable land. Its comprehensive text was written by two naturalists who have spent many years studying and writing about the country's ecology, while its 400 stunning photographs were taken especially for the book by one of the world's leading natural history photographers.

The text starts with an overview of the land and people of Indonesia and an introduction to its particular conservation problems. It then focuses in turn on each of the country's regions: Sumatra, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Java and Bali, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Lesser Sundas, and Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea). Special attention is given to natural parks and reserves. Each region is described in detail, and the text is accompanied by maps and illustrations of landscapes, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and the country's exquisite flora, including its fabulous orchids. Species are all shown in their natural habitat, emphasizing clearly the interdependence of all forms of life.

Tony and Jane Whitten have spent much of the last sixteen years in Indonesia. They are currently based in Bali and working on a detailed study of the ecology of Java and Bali; their previous books include ecological studies of Sumatra and Sulawesi, Asian Animals in Danger, The Gibbons of Siberut, and The Freshwater Fishes of Sumatra, Borneo, Java, and Sulawesi. Gerald Cubitt provided all of the photographs for Wild Indonesia, as he has for the companion volumes Wild Malaysia and Wild India.

Average customer rating:

1 of the best

ALL YOU NEED!

The Complete Handbook to Striped Bass Fishing - Nick Karas

1,2,3, Fish!

The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing
Nick Karas
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fishing | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Striped Bass Fishing: Salt Water Strategies (Salt Water Sportsman)

The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing: Where to Find Them, How to Catch Them

Striper Surf

On the Run: An Angler's Journey Down the Striper Coast

The Ultimate Guide to Surfcasting

ASIN: 1585740888

Book Description

Spinning, bait fishing, and fly fishing for one of America's greatest gamefish.

Customer Reviews:

1 of the best.......2007-07-19

Most informative of the 15 or so books I have read on striped bass covers everthing!!!

ALL YOU NEED!.......2006-03-02

Learned about this book at dubyadubyadubya.flyfishsaltwaters_dot_com and it's really an incredibly informative book.

THUMBS UP!

The Complete Handbook to Striped Bass Fishing - Nick Karas.......2002-01-04

For those fishermen who think you know everything you need to know to catch the lunker we all dream about, you're wrong.

This book delivers useful, real, and interesting information for the beginner to the so called expert.

Karas makes you think about your technique and offers suggestions to improve your fishing and to make it more enjoyable.

If you are serious about your Stripers, buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

1,2,3, Fish!.......2001-11-26

Very seldom will you find "how to" books with this much REAL information. The kind of info that even casual fishermen will find not only do-able but successful. I highly recommend it for the beginner and experienced Striper-getter. MC

Average customer rating:

The Complete Book of the Striped Bass
Nicholas Karas , and Nick Karas
Manufacturer: Stoeger Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0883170620

Average customer rating:

Complete Book Of Striped Bass Fishing
Nick Karas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O5EWNM

The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing

Average customer rating:

The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing
Henry, Woolner, Frank Lyman
Manufacturer: A.J. Barnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O00ZBA

Average customer rating:

Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing
Henry Lyman , and Frank Woolner
Manufacturer: Oak Tree Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0498080757

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF STRIPED BASS FISHING: Tackle and Methods to be used.

Average customer rating:

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF STRIPED BASS FISHING: Tackle and Methods to be used.

Manufacturer: A.S.Barnes and Comp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IBZFE2

Average customer rating:

THE COMPLETE BOOK OF STRIPED BASS FISHING: Tackle and Methods to be used...
Henry Lyman
Manufacturer: A.S.Barnes and Comp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UCH6QO

Average customer rating:

The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing
Henry; Woolner, Frank Lyman
Manufacturer: A.S. Barnes and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O6LK1S

Average customer rating:

the complete book of striped bass fishing
lyman henry frank woolner
Manufacturer: a,s.barnes 3rd prtg.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MMVAK0

Customer Reviews:

Simple and Great.......2006-01-26

Even though it looks like a kids book, it helps you to learn the words and phrases much more easier.
I think that this was a great buy, it's also small so you can carry it around in your purse or backpack. I recommend it!

Simple, non-intimidating, fun.......2005-09-07

This is one of my favorite study books (and I have many). If you are using audio tapes to learn Italian, then this is the perfect companion for those people (like myself) who are "visual" learners. Just about every page has several small pen & ink illustrations. The book is organized into short lessons/chapters, followed by short question & answer pages. It is all kept very simple and is geared for the traveler. A great bargain at this price, too.
As for the "inferior printing job" as described by another reviewer: This paperback IS printed on inexpensive, newsprint-type paper, and occasionally the dot on top of an "i" will connect to the bottom and it will come out looking like an "l". I personally didn't find it much of a problem.

good information poorly printed.......2005-08-26

This book is loaded with helpful information about the Italian language. My misgivings with this book has to do with the inferior print job. In some instances, it's hard to tell the correct spelling of some words due to smudgy printing.
Still worth the price.

A Delivered Promise.......2003-04-28

I've used many language help books but this one is my favorite. I felt like I could indeed self teach Italian. And when I went to Italy my cousins there did understand me (for the most part). It's a great book for slowly building to a conversational understanding of the language.

A Classic Learning Tool for Beginners of Italian.......2002-05-08

My husband and I review this book from cover to cover each year before we go back to Italy. We have been doing this for 20 years. I am about to order another paperback as I use it so much. This is a classic book. So easy to learn with pictures and words. For someone who knows no Italian, it is the perfect book to start with.

Speak in a Week! Italian Complete!: See, Hear, Say & Learn (Speak in a Week)

Average customer rating:

phrases are not helpful, didn't like at all compared to others
Great for beginners
Super language learning series
Speak in a week! Italian Complete"

Speak in a Week! Italian Complete!: See, Hear, Say & Learn (Speak in a Week)
Inc Penton Overseas
Manufacturer: Penton Overseas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1591255481

Book Description

In four 240-page wire-o bound books of eight sections apiece, you get a comprehensive overview of grammar, plus nearly 70 pages of vocabulary. The thirty-one colorful, illustrated lessons, a comprehensive review, and detailed glossaries provide all the basic tools to learn another language. Each page features the target language on one side and English on the reverse, with an illustration providing the visual clues and memory hooks to increase speed of comprehension, plus extra grammar tips, helpful hints, and cultural insights to enrich your learning experience. Audio CD provides native pronunciation of all material presented plus Mastery Exercises for comprehensive review.

Customer Reviews:

phrases are not helpful, didn't like at all compared to others.......2007-08-23

I learned to speak Italian in my car before my last trip and wanted to learn more, especially since I changed cars and needed CD's instead of tapes. These phrases were so silly and so useless that I quicly lost interest. "I like your hat" I didn't think that the CD's were helpful, I didn't like the way they taught you and for the price, I expected a whole lot more. I was really sorry that I bought these.
My other tapes were cheap but excellent. I should have returned this item.
Get something else......

Great for beginners.......2007-08-07

I just finished book 1 and already I've learned a lot for someone who was a complete beginner when I started. By the end of book 1 you will be able to understand this for ex: "Ho una racchetta ma non ho una palla" and much more. If you want to be able to read/write as well as speak Italian, this a good place to start -- especially if you're looking for a book, that's small, portable as well as one that has a simple, uncluttered format -- there's just a phrase per page (one side in English, the other in Italian) and the CD follows along w/ the book. If you literally want to complete each book in a week, you'd have to spend ALL day studying - It took me a month to get through the first book, studying 30 mins to an hour, 4 or 5 days a week (I'm in no rush) - Of course, the more you practice, the faster it will go. I also listen a few minutes a day to the CD in the car. If you just want to learn enough to get by for a trip -- I would try something else. However, if you're a beginner and you want to learn how to read/write and speak Italian, this set is a great start. Note: there are a couple errors where the CD doesn't match what's in the book and some lists of words in the book that are in the wrong columns -- but you can go online and find the info you need to make the corrections (there are a ton of websites for students of Italian)

Super language learning series.......2007-05-13

This series on learning Italian follows in the admirable footsteps of the series on learning Spanish. Penton Overseas has got a winning formula for teaching languages. I purchased the Spanish series and was so impressed that I decided to obtain other Penton Speak in a Week series i.e. French, Chinese, and Italian. I just wish the German series was available in a four book/volume set. At the present time I am dual learning both Spanish and Italian as there is a great amount of similarities in both languages.
Anyone interested in learning a new language or brushing up on a language (my Spanish was learned 40 years ago), would be well advised to invest the time an money in purchasing these excellent language series.

Speak in a week! Italian Complete" .......2006-07-19

I brought this for my 15 year old son. He asked for it. My 5 year old daughter loved it too. They did the cds and are still learning Italian. This is very educational. I have alot of educational materials in my house for my kids. I would recommend this if you want to learn Italian.

See again, say again;: A picture book in four languages (A Voyager book)

Average customer rating:

See again, say again;: A picture book in four languages (A Voyager book)
Antonio Frasconi
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace & World
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007E1AZI

How to Say It: English, Amharic, Italian

Average customer rating:

bad
it is very interested because I am italian speaker .

How to Say It: English, Amharic, Italian
Leonardo Oriolo
Manufacturer: Red Sea Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Reference | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook

ASIN: 1569020760

Customer Reviews:

bad.......2003-06-22

This books dwells too much on patterns, in effect the vocabulary is minimal. Amharic is not transcribed, Italian is not marked for stress. I'll recomend Lonely Planet - may not be perfect, but certainly it's better.

it is very interested because I am italian speaker ........2000-05-07

I would like to see italian to amharic or english so it gives me more detial to say it or to answer it. I am italian language speaker it is a good idea to have book like this.

Average customer rating:

The authors and the publisher of this book hit the mark.

How to Say It: English-Tigrinya-Italian
Leonardo Oriolo , Amanuel Sahle , and Senait Iyob
Manufacturer: Red Sea Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Reference | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tigrinya Phrase Book

ASIN: 156902054X
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Customer Reviews:

The authors and the publisher of this book hit the mark........1999-08-29

Leonardo Oriolo has made a great book for anyone learning Tigrigna. He has been creative in presenting the three different languages together in a logical way. The reason I can only give it three stars is because I don't believe that the book is finished. As I've scanned through and read most of the book, I couldn't help wondering if there had been a rush to publish it and therefor omitting some parts of the book and mixing up others. I believe that with a little bit of further editing, this book will be considered a must have for all people trying to learn Tigrigna.